Subjugating the Mad Salamanders turned out to be a grueling cycle of repetitive labor.
It wasn't mindless repetition, though. Once the first nets were hauled in, the fish had to be transferred to baskets. During that transition, we had to stay vigilant to ensure the swarms surging up from the lake didn't break through our line and reach the shore.
The baskets were then hauled off to either the processing plant or to ships bound for other cities. Since those baskets were prime targets for scavengers, we had to remain flexible, jumping in as guards or reinforcements whenever the situation demanded.
Once the ships departed and the remaining fish were moved to the plant, the Mad Salamanders' focus narrowed to a single point. That was when the operation devolved into a total war against the charging swarms. Because the extermination ran in tandem with the fishing, we had to constantly adapt to the shifting rhythm of the catch.
I lost track of how many monsters there actually were. Just as I’d been warned, the onslaught continued until the sun was high in the sky. The sight of countless carcasses strewn across the once-pristine beach was staggering—especially knowing this would go on for several more days.
"Alright, the waves have stopped! Clear the beach and prepare to withdraw!" the lead adventurer shouted.
At his command, vitality returned to the voices of the weary men. They put their backs into the final task of the morning, clearing the beach of the remaining corpses.
"Yo, good work out there," Kai said, approaching me.
"Kai-san. Good work to you and the rest of the team as well."
"Good work~"
"Done for today, then."
Shin, the leader, looked me over. "Ryoma-kun, you’re looking remarkably steady. People who aren't used to this usually collapse halfway through or burn themselves out by overextending."
"He's got quite the stamina for his age..." Peiron added.
"Stamina is the one thing I’m truly confident in," I replied with a smile.
As the members of Shikumu's Pier gathered, I wondered what the next move was.
"Us? For now, we'll either rest or grab lunch," Kai explained.
"We started early this morning, so it's about that time," Sein noted.
"We usually decide what to do next while we eat, so let's start with a meal," Shin suggested.
I nodded in agreement. I thought we might be headed back to one of their homes, but instead, we walked toward the fish processing plant we had just been defending.
"Mei! Lunch for six!" Kai hollered as we walked through the wide-open doors.
"Coming right up! Take a seat!" a spirited voice rang out.
"Oh, Mei-san?" I asked.
"My sister works here—actually, most of the women in the village do," Kai explained. "With the processing work starting back up in the afternoon, it’s easier to prep everyone's food in one place rather than having them go home. The fishermen and their families basically eat lunch here every day."
It made sense. In the large room where I followed them, many men had already begun their meals. Once we found empty seats, Mei and two children around my age brought over trays of food.
"Here you go! It's a hearty vegetable soup today!"
"Oh, vegetables? That’s rare," Kai said appreciatively.
"Thank you very much," I said.
"Sure..." the boy serving the food muttered. He seemed to be staring at me.
"Is something the matter?" I asked.
"No, it's nothing." He hurried away. He was probably just curious about a new face in the village.
I turned my attention to the meal before it got cold. Lunch consisted of bread and a vegetable soup packed with large chunks of ingredients. I took a bite. It was delicious. It contained daikon, burdock, and lotus root, all seasoned with a distinct hint of mustard. Ever since arriving in this village, my taste buds had been on a non-stop nostalgia trip.
"Phew... this really warms you up," I murmured.
"Hey, kid. You were out there for the hunt, weren't you? Good work," a man passing by grunted.
"Ah, thank you. Good work to you too."
"Wait, is this the boy everyone saw sprinting around earlier? Make sure you eat your fill!" another added.
The villagers were incredibly open. The sense of closeness between them was so strong that they felt more like one big family than just neighbors. Between the warm atmosphere and the delicious meal, I found myself thinking that retiring to a village like this wouldn't be such a bad idea.
As I enjoyed the food, Shin brought up our plans for the afternoon. "Ryoma-kun, is there anything specific you want to do?"
"If you're asking, I'd like to do some preparation for tomorrow’s hunt."
Based on my experience this morning, I wanted to involve my familiars in a way that wouldn't disrupt the others. I explained that while we handled our section well today, I had noticed a few breaches in the lines elsewhere. I wanted to streamline our approach so we could handle even larger swarms more efficiently.
Back on Earth, even a necessary change would often be shot down with a curt, "This is how we've always done things here." Worse, suggesting an improvement was often taken as a personal insult to the status quo—as if I were calling everyone else incompetent. I expected at least a little resistance here.
To my surprise, the group just shared a wry smile.
"The way we worked this morning is the fisherman's way," Shin explained. "We grew up with it, so we default to it, but an adventurer should have their own style. As long as you get the job done, it's fine. Besides, we might learn something new from your methods. Preparation and study are the foundation of everything... or so a mentor once told me. I didn't truly take that to heart until we got back from the trip where we met you."
It seemed they had done a lot of reflecting after their previous failures. I was glad they were able to listen to my suggestions so flexibly.
"I have a few more questions, then. I didn't see anyone using magic today. Is it prohibited?"
"No, there just aren't many mages in a rural village like this," Sein replied. "Mages usually head to the big cities for better pay."
"Plus, the sheer number of monsters makes magic-intensive fighting expensive," Peiron added. "The rewards are good, but if you're chugging mana recovery potions, you might actually end up losing money."
"And you have to be careful with the type of magic," Kei warned. "Fire isn't very effective against them. Thunder magic can accidentally hit allies in the water. Flashy spells might kill a lot of monsters, but they scare off the fish and ruin the catch. And poison is completely out of the question if we want to eat the fish. I’ve heard fishermen complaining about that since I was a kid."
So magic was allowed, provided I was mindful of the environment. With those caveats in mind, I finished my meal and began mapping out a tactical plan for my slimes.